


Rocky Mountain High

by Noelleian



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Bottoming from the Top, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Humor, Jealousy, M/M, Mild Smut, One Night Stands, Toppy Tuesday, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:46:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8168891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noelleian/pseuds/Noelleian
Summary: When Sandrock encounters a technical problem on the way to a mission, Duo and Quatre set up camp in the Colorado mountains for the night. After a desperate, but ill-planned attempt to stay warm, Duo discovers that his comrade is full of surprises.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Toppy Tuesday fic on a Friday because why not? ^_^ I didn't get to finish it on time because it ended up being a lot longer than I'd anticipated. Hope you like!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own GW, or its characters. I'm just borrowing them for the purposes of this story.

Ending up in the mountains of Colorado was not part of the plan. Their target was an abandoned offshore oil rig a few hundred knots west of the Hawaiian islands. It was serving as a salt water distilling and refueling station for OZ mobile suits that were enroute to cross the Pacific. 

Duo and Quatre had been the unfortunate recipients of Noin’s wrath after she discovered that the enemy had stolen her technology to convert sea water into fuel. Their orders were preceded by a long-winded rant about a decade of hard work being utilized by “fascist pricks” after her traitorous research assistant was sniffed out too little too late.

Halfway to their destination, Sandrock began to experience a technical problem that forced Quatre find an undisclosed location to land. His attempts to get Duo to go on ahead without him were fruitless as the Deathscythe pilot refused leave the other boy alone in the wilderness.

“What would the others say if I left you here and you got eaten by a polar bear?”

Quatre jumped back with a curse when a particularly strong current sparked up from the electrical wiring of Sandrock’s shoulder. He glanced up at Duo, his eyes hidden behind a pair of dark safety goggles. “There are no polar bears in Colorado, Duo,” he said before dipping his head back down to concentrate on chasing the flailing, sparking wire with a pair of clamps. 

Duo cocked his head. “There’s no polar bears here?”

“Nope.” He finally managed to clamp the end of the wire and pulled it out from the nested tangle. “Can you hand me the solder?” 

“Sure thing.” Duo picked it up and stepped over the metal plates of the mech’s chest. He watched the blond seal off the end of the wire and then dip his hands back in to pull out a few more. “What are you doing?”

“This wire is shot so I’m going to have to reroute the connection. It’s not a permanent fix, but it’ll get the job done until I can get it back to the hangar.”

Duo sniffled and rubbed his nose, cold and beginning to drip in the frigid January air. “Nothin’ like slapping a Band Aid on a bullet hole.”

“It’ll do for now,” Quatre said, stuffing the wires back in and slamming the panel closed. He shoved the goggles up over his head, causing his bangs to stick up in little spikes, and looked around at the array of tools strewn about. “Where’d I put the Phillips head?”

“Come again?”

“The…screwdriver. I just had it. I used it to open the panel, but now I can’t find it.” He leaned to the side, lifting up his right leg before leaning to the other side to check under his left one. “Damn it!”

Duo glanced down and spotted the elusive tool a few inches away from his boot. “I got it, Blondie. Don’t have a coronary.” He grabbed it and passed it to Quatre, feeling the icy cold of the boy’s fingers when they brushed against his own. He caught the retreating hand and turned it over. “Jesus, Quat. Are you trying to get frostbite?”

Quatre yanked his hand out of Duo’s grip and went to work tightening the screws into the edges of the panel. “I’m fine. I can’t very well do this with gloves on.”

“You won’t very well do much of anything if you don’t have fingers either. Hurry up with that. It’s getting dark and we need to get you warmed up.”

“What about the mission?”

“Fuck the mission. We can deal with that tomorrow. It’s fucking freezing. We need to camp for the night.”

Quatre huffed, but didn’t argue. He finished up and began packing his tools away, trying to hide the way his teeth were chattering. As much as he hated to admit it, Duo was right. He could barely even feel his hands anymore. Just a little longer and he’d be nursing some very painful frostbite. “Alright, let’s go.”

 

***

 

The fire was doing a rather nice job of warming him up, but Duo had taken it upon himself to fuss over him as if he were an incompetent child. He took it in stride and only half-heartedly rolled his eyes as Duo lowered himself onto the fallen tree trunk behind him and wrapped them both in a thick wool blanket.

“Scooch your butt up, man. Gimme some room. Damn, what has Tro been feeding you?”

Quatre balked as he wiggled forward. “Are you implying that I’m fat?”

“No,” Duo said, a little unconvincingly. “Nothin’ wrong with a little junk in the trunk.”

“You are so lucky that I’m too cold and tired to shove you off this log.”

“Luck ain’t got nothin’ to do with it.”

“Keep it up and you’ll be sleeping outside with the bears.”

“I thought you said there were no bears.”

“I said there were no _polar_ bears. There are black bears, brown bears, grizzlies, mountain lions -”

“Wonderful,” Duo muttered. “Say what you will about the colonies, but at least there aren’t any wild, carnivorous beasts running around.”

“No, just human ones.”

“How are your hands?”

Quatre flexed his fingers and nodded. “Better. They don’t hurt anymore.” Beneath the blanket, Duo’s hands fumbled for his own and and he smiled as he leaned back into the other boy’s chest and weaved their fingers together. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, listening to the loud pop and crackle of the fire.

“This alright?” Duo asked softly against his ear, stirring the fine hairs at the nape of his neck and causing his skin to break out in goosebumps.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s good. I have to say, this is much better than what we originally had planned.”

“You think so? Better than blowing shit up?”

“Much better.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s only exciting until you realize what you’re really doing. War sucks.”

“It does,” Quatre agreed, tipping his head back onto Duo’s shoulder. “You’re nice and warm.”

“Warmer than the blanket?”

“Of course. The blanket only retains body heat anyway. It’s us that’s giving it off.”

“True.” Duo rubbed his cheek against Quatre’s temple. It was slightly chilled and a little scratchy.

“You need a shave.”

“At least I have facial hair _to_ shave.”

“You’re a jerk.”

Most of the sunlight was gone, leaving the sky a deep dark blue. A vast navy canopy, bejeweled with glittering stars. They easily spotted the faint twinkle of L2 and L4, tracking their slow progress from west to east.

“It’s amazing how close together they seem from down here,” Duo murmured into his hair. 

“Mmm,” he agreed as he smothered a yawn, feeling pleasantly warm and sleepy.

“We should get to bed. You’re tired and we need to be up early. Did you get enough to eat?”

“Yeah,” he said, forcing himself to sit up. He shivered when the blanket disappeared and busied himself by helping Duo snuff out the fire. “We need to put the food back in the Gundams. We don’t want any late night visitors.”

Duo held his arms out. “Here, I’ll take it. Go get in the tent. I’ll be right there.”

He passed the MRE’s to the other boy and turned to pick the blanket up off the log, wrapping it around himself as he made his way to the tent. Inside, he lit the lantern and adjusted the brightness before stripping down to his underwear. Cursing the cold, he quickly crawled into his sleeping bag and arranged the blanket over the top.

The pillow was small, but made of the squishy memory foam that he loved and he nuzzled his face against it as he pulled the covers up high over his shoulder. He blinked heavy eyelids, trying to stay awake long enough to be sure his friend returned safely, though his mind had other plans. Within a few minutes, he was dead to the world.

 

***

 

Duo was eternally grateful that Quatre had thought to light the lantern, otherwise he would have lost sight of their camp in the pitch black darkness. He followed the warm glow of the tent, wrapping his arms around himself to stay warm, though it did little good. He was shaking with cold by the time he reached the camp.

“Stupid war. Stupid winter. I hate this shit.”

He unzipped the tent and stepped inside after shucking his boots at the entry. It was almost impossible to tell if Quatre was even there. He was practically indiscernible beneath the thick padding of the sleeping bag. Only tufts of blond hair sticking out from the top of the blanket were visible. Duo smiled as he pulled his shirt off, affection warming him despite the frigid air. He draped his clothes across the foot of his sleeping bag and crawled inside, popping his arm out long enough to snuff the lantern before yanking it beneath the covers again.

Even with the thick layer of down inside the sleeping bag and the windbreaker fabric of the outer lining, he could not get warm enough to be comfortable. He contemplated putting his clothes back on, but he knew that wouldn’t be much better. After tossing and turning and attempting to preserve heat by curling up as small as possible, he gave up. Frustrated, he struggled out of the bag and crawled over to Quatre’s, flipping the blanket off and pulling down the zipper. 

He paused for only a moment, wondering what the repercussions would be for sharing a sleeping bag with his half-naked comrade while he himself was also half-naked. The possibility that Trowa would cut his balls off was a definite concern. He weighed the odds between that and the more imminent threat of said balls freezing off before the potentially jealous Heavyarms pilot had a chance to neuter him.

_Fuck it. If I’m gonna lose ‘em, I want to hang onto ‘em for as long as I can._

He stuck his legs into the sleeping bag, sliding down until they tangled with Quatre’s and sucked in an involuntary breath from the intimate feeling of silky, warm skin against his own. He reached back and pulled up the zipper before flipping the blanket back over them. It was a tight squeeze, but fuck did it feel good. He shifted around as carefully as he could, trying not to wake the sleeping blond as he settled in behind him.

He closed his eyes and did his best to empty his mind long enough to drift off, but the warm, smooth skin of Quatre’s back against his chest and the soft flesh of his ass was proving more difficult than he’d anticipated. He shifted his hips back, trying to keep his groin from making contact with the boy’s tempting bum, and begged his cock to remain indifferent.

_Don’t get hard. Do not get hard, damn it. Don’t you fucking dare!_

He suppressed a frustrated groan when his dick proceeded to do the opposite of what he told it to, swelling and tenting the front of his boxer briefs. Within the tight space of the sleeping bag, there was simply no room to compensate for the outward arch of his erection and he hissed when the tip pressed gently against the other boy’s backside.

_Fuck. I’m dead. I’m a fucking dead man. What was I thinking? If Quat doesn’t kill me for getting into a sleeping bag with him, he’s definitely gonna kill me for popping a boner on him. And when he’s done killing me, Tro’s gonna castrate me and kill me all over again._

He froze, heart pounding painfully as Quatre shifted a little, the movement forcing his dick flush against the crack of the blond’s ass. He squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, praying to gods, devils, and tax accountants that the boy wouldn’t wake up. There were a few tense moments of stillness before that uncanny human ability to sense another person’s awareness made him realize he was doomed.

“Duo? What are you doing?”

“Uh…” _Shit. Busted._  “Sleeping?”

“Do you always sleep with a hard on?”

 _Only when I’m spooning adorable blond guys, I guess._  “I uh…I was cold.”

“Uh-huh. Are you warm now?”

Actually, yes. Sufficed to say, he was beginning to sweat even, though from the heat, or being caught with a stiffy remained to be seen. “Yeah…” He sucked in a sharp breath when Quatre suddenly shoved his hips back and he bit down on his tongue as the little blond shit wiggled his ass teasingly against his cock. He clamped a hand over the boy’s bony hip to still him. “Fuck, Quat. That’s not helping.”

Quatre flipped over, startling him as a slender leg slid up the length of his own and hooked around his hip. He could feel the blond’s hot, moist exhalations brush across his face, accelerated and slightly shaky and he wondered if it was from fear, or excitement. He could make out the faint outline of Quatre's cheek and jaw as well as the sheen of his eyes from the moonlight filtering in through the tent and wanted to kiss him so bad, he could taste it.

“Quat…”

“I can help you with that.”

He tipped his head back and groaned as a warm hand pressed against his groin, fingers curling around the length of his cock in a way that made his eyes roll back into his head. He closed his own hand over Quatre’s and moved it over his aching erection the same way he did it when tending to himself. He was almost completely lost to the pleasure when a vision of Trowa emerged in his mind’s eye, dousing his arousal like a bucket of ice water.

“Quat...Quatre, wait!”

The blond’s hand stilled, pulling abruptly away, and he valiantly tried to ignore the way his dick twitched in mourning. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Trowa will have my ass in a sling, that’s what’s wrong.”

“What does Trowa have to do with this?”

“Uh…nothing except the fact that he wants to bone you.”

Quatre lifted his head off the pillow and stared down at him. “And that has what to do with this?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because if he ever finds out about this, he’ll rip my dick off and feed it to his pet lions.” He glowered at Quatre as he threw his head back and cackled. “I’m glad to see you’re so amused by my imminent castration.”

He could feel Quatre’s body shaking with laughter and sulked petulantly as he waited for the boy to collect himself. After a few moments, his mirth died down to mere giggles. “Oh my god, Duo. Don’t be ridiculous. Trowa doesn’t have any claim over me.”

“But he wants to,” he argued.

He stiffened as Quatre lowered his head, so close that the tips of their noses brushed against each other. Duo wanted so badly to go through with this, but was unsure just how ethical it was. The blond’s breath was heated and damp, his plump lips grazing against his own, cruelly tempting him to kiss and nibble on them. Quatre spoke in a low, husky whisper that threatened to crumble the last shreds of his resolve.

“But he doesn't. Not yet.”

“Doesn’t mean he won’t kill me.”

“He won’t kill you.”

“But…I saw him. In my mind. He was holding a machete, Quat. And he was planning on using it. Rather gleefully, I might add. It has to be an omen. It’s -”

“Duo?”

“What?”

“Shut the fuck up.” Any further protests flew right out through the flap in the tent as Quatre pressed forward and sealed the deal. He grabbed the blond’s face between his hands and took over the kiss, tugging on swollen lips with his teeth and dipping his tongue inside to taste the boy's sweetness.

Quatre pulled away with a final nip at his tingling mouth and Duo caught the twinkle of his eyes in the darkness before his head disappeared beneath the blankets. His body twitched as he felt Quatre scoot his way down and he fumbled for the sleeping bag’s zipper, pulling it down and flipping the top away to give Quatre room to work. 

The light from the full moon illuminated the inside of the tent and cast a pewter blue glow over the blond's fair skin and the crown of his head and Duo thought he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life. He watched with pounding heart and baited breath as Quatre peeled away his boxer briefs, the chilled air on his feverish cock causing his skin to prickle in the most delicious way. 

The soft, hot puffs of Quatre’s breath over his groin was maddening and quite frankly, Duo was done playing. He reached down, tangling his fingers into silky curls, and pushed on the back of the boy’s head.

“Suck it, you fucking cock tease.”

Quatre’s soft laughter ghosted across his cock. It was the laugh of someone who knew he had the upper hand, confident and full of mischief. “Now, now,” he chided. “There’s no need to be so rude.”

“Goddamnit, Quat. You’re driving me fucking crazy!”

Another playful chuckle and then, “Well, we can’t have that, can we?” 

Duo’s retort was lost in a gravelly moan as the blond ducked down and and sucked him all the way in. Through half-lidded eyes, he watched the clouds of steam billow up into the air above him as he panted into the quiet night. The contrast of the freezing temperatures against his overheated skin was exquisite, even more intense around his damp cock every time Quatre withdrew and where the fuck did he learn to give such fabulous head?

Within a few minutes, he was moaning brokenly, pulling flaxen locks of hair between his fingers, fucking up into the wet heat of Quatre’s mouth, and teetering on the edge of embarrassing himself by prematurely blowing a nut. Quatre, bless his heart, pulled off a split second before he reached the point of no return. He whined with frustration and fruitlessly kicked his legs against the blankets while making grabby hands at the blond. 

“Suck. Keep…sucking. More suckage.”

Quatre scoffed and batted the groping appendages away. “Allah, I suck your dick for three minutes and you lose your grasp on the English language? How old are you?”

“Old enough to know I want you to get the fuck back down there and finish what you started, you fucking tease.”

“Hmph. Don’t you want to find out what else I have up my sleeve?”

“You’re not wearing any sleeves.”

“You are such a prick.”

“Speaking of pricks, I believe you still have work to do,” he sniped, pointing at said prick jutting up between his thighs. His brows dipped low over his eyes as he watched Quatre turn to the side and reach for his trousers. Outraged and desperate, he snapped a little more emphatically than he’d meant to. “The fuck are you doing?”

Quatre shot him a sharp look and Duo bit down on his tongue, instantly reminded of why the blond was their commander. The normally pixie-like face could summon sunshine and rainbows after a storm, but was just as capable of making a grown man wish he’d never been born.

He held his hands up in a mea culpa gesture. “Jesus, Quat! Call off the demons, man. It’s just me.”

The eerie glint of the usually bright, cheerful eyes stared at him with unwavering intensity for a few more seconds before the spell was broken and Quatre looked back down at the garment in his hands. Duo breathed a sigh of relief as the tense moment melted away and tried again, a little more gently. “What are you doing?”

Quatre pulled a tiny round object out of his pants’ pocket and clutched it in his palm. “Do you trust me?”

“ _Pffffft_ …duh. Of course I do.”

Quatre nodded and popped the cap off of what looked like a tin of lip balm. Duo stared unblinking as the blond scooped the substance out with a finger and lowered his hand to Duo’s cock, spreading it over the tip and working his way down the shaft. He sat back up to hook his thumbs into his briefs, working them down over his hips and off his legs. Duo’s heart thumped with excitement and a little nervousness, watching Quatre dig a little more balm out and reach behind himself to massage it over his opening. 

His belly flipped over with a delicious thrill as Quatre quickly wiped his hand on the blanket and crawled over him. A deep groan rumbled from his throat when the pert cheeks of the blond’s ass settled over his groin and he lifted trembling hands to touch creamy soft skin. He rubbed them over the boy’s hips and back and reached around to dig his fingers into supple buttocks.

“You sure you want to do this?”

“Are you?”

Fucking hell, did he even need to ask? “Fuck, yeah…but, have you ever done this before?”

“Do you honestly think I would be about to impale myself on your dick if I hadn’t?”

He cocked his head in curiosity. “Who did you do this with before?” 

Quatre's eyes narrowed. “Isn’t that my business?”

“Was it Tro?”

He leaned forward and nipped his teeth over Duo’s upper lip in admonishment for being so nosy. “No. You don’t know him.”

“Oh, God! It wasn’t one of the Maganuacs, was it?” The youngest of them was easily ten years older than Quatre.

He jerked upright, a look of abject disgust on his face. “Gross, Duo! Why the hell would you ask me that?”

“Sorry. Just check - _checking!_ ” His eyes rolled back into his head as Quatre rolled his hips, the length of Duo’s cock dragging deliriously along the hot, moist crevice. “Oh fuck, Quat. Get me in there.”

“Are you going to behave?”

“I’ll do anything you want, just fucking _do_ it.”

There was a distinct expression of smug superiority on Quatre’s face. The look of someone who was well aware of his sexual appeal and knew how to use it to his advantage. Duo had no grounds to contest it considering his current state was damning proof and he didn’t much care anyway because he was far too desperate to bury himself inside the other boy.

Quatre lifted up and reached back, wrapping deft fingers around Duo’s cock. He guided it to his opening and sunk down, rendering the other boy helpless to the rapture of his body.

 

***

 

“To think that all this time, I thought you were an innocent little virgin, brimming with purity and virtue.”

Quatre snorted and lifted his head from Duo’s chest. “What the hell ever gave you that idea?”

“I dunno. S'just how you come off, I guess. It’s not just me either.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Heero actually gave me a fucking lecture before leaving on this mission, if you can believe that.”

“Did he? What for?”

“To remind me that I need to keep my “perversions” to myself while in your company. He was worried I would sully you, or something.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Quatre groaned, dropping his head back down to Duo’s chest. “I don’t get it. Trowa’s the same way. I know he wants me, but he’s too afraid to touch me.” He paused and then laughed a moment later. “Do you remember a few months back, on the Peacemillion? We were watching some film in the rec room…I can’t remember what it was called.”

“I remember you being in a tizzy over something, but you never said why.”

“After Trowa spent the entire day making moony eyes at me from across the room, I tried to kiss him.”

“And?”

“And, he stopped me. Said it wasn’t right.”

“Why the fuck not?”

“He said he wanted to “wait for the right time and do it properly.””

“Quat, I hate to break it to you, but that boy is so head over heels for you, it’s pathetic. I’m serious. I actually feel sorry for the guy. He is so gone.”

“Yet he won’t do anything about it.”

“I would bet my paltry salary and dismal 401K that he wants your first time to be perfect. Don’t be surprised if you come home one day and find a trail of rose petals leading to your bedroom, complete with champagne and cheesy love ballads coming from the stereo. All Barry Manilow and shit.” He grinned when Quatre snickered and buried his face against Duo’s chest to muffle his laughter. “Does he know you’re not a virgin?”

“I haven’t told him. It’s not like the opportunity ever came up.”

“Careful with that. You just might break the poor guy's brain when you shatter the illusions he has of you being some innocent little angel.”

“I prefer to think I’ll blow his mind when the time comes.”

“You sure as fuck blew mine.”

“I’m always underestimated. It’s been that way my whole life.”

“Looks can be deceiving. Especially in your case. I think you surprised all of us. I’ll admit, when I first met you, I didn’t think…”

“Didn’t think I could hack it?”

Duo flushed with guilt and nodded. “I kept thinking, “What is this little blond pretty boy doing here? He’s gonna get himself killed.” I figured as soon as you broke a nail, you would head for the hills.”

“And now?”

“Now? Now I know how wrong I was. You’ve got balls of steel, buddy.” He smiled when Quatre chuckled, relieved that he was being a good sport about this. “You had us all fooled. It’s not very often someone can earn Heero’s respect, or hell, even Fei’s.”

“Wufei thought I was a girl. He called me “Nǚhái” when I first met him face to face.”

“No offense, but I did, too.”

“I know.” 

“Did Tro?”

“I don’t think so. Anyway, no offense taken. I’m used to it.” Quatre pressed his face against the firm flesh of Duo’s pectoral and kissed the still damp skin. Duo could feel the smile curling up the blond’s lips. “I guess my cover is blown.”

Duo threw his head back with a burst of laughter. “Yeah, I think it’s safe to say you’re not a chick. I’ve seen the goods myself.”

Quatre snickered and pinched Duo’s nipple. “The goods.”

“And you’re quite the little minx in bed. If Trowa doesn’t get off his ass and take care of business, I’ll be more than happy to apply for the job.”

Quatre hummed and idly rubbed over Duo’s nipple with his index finger. “You can submit your resume to my personal email anytime, day or night.”

“Even on weekends?”

“Especially on weekends.”

He grinned and tangled his fingers into Quatre’s hair, tugging gently on the mussed curls. “I hope there’s not a long waiting list.”

“Even if there was, you’re at the top.”

“Behind Trowa, of course.”

“Of course.”

“He’s a lucky man. Or, he will be if he ever gets his shit together.”

“Oh, he will. I can be very persuasive.”

“Fuckin’ A. What are we going to tell them when we get back to base?”

“We’re going to tell them that we had a delay in the mission, but that we successfully completed it. No one needs to know anything else.”

“You’re not gonna tell Tro we slept together?”

“Duo, he doesn’t own me. We’re not even together. I don’t owe him an explanation. Neither do you. If we ever get around to trying a relationship, then I’ll disclose that information when applicable. Until then, it’s no one’s business but ours.”

“Okay, fair enough.” Quatre was right, of course. He was not committed to Trowa and was free to seek his own sexual interactions, but that didn’t mean Duo wasn’t apprehensive about him finding out. Maybe Quatre, having grown up with a hoarde of sisters, wasn’t aware of the “bro code”. The unspoken rule among guys that when one had their eye on a potential partner, that meant his friends respectfully refrained from pursuing that person. 

Then again, Quatre had come on to him. Granted, it was after Duo climbed into his sleeping bag and poked him with his woody, but Quatre could have chosen to disregard it, or even kicked Duo back to his own sleeping bag.

Still, what was done was done. There was nothing else to do but play it cool and roll with the punches if and when they came.

He held the blond tight against him and closed his eyes, his mind summoning up the lyrics of an age old folk song that Solo used to sing before he died. And how ironic was it that they also happened to currently be camped out in the Rocky mountains?

“ _He was born in the summer of his 27th year_  
_Coming home to a place he’d never been before_  
_He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again_  
_You might say he found a key for every door_ …  ”

“What are you doing?”

“ _But the Colorado rocky mountain high  
I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky.._.”

“Oh, God. You are not singing John Denver, are you?”

“ _The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullaby_ …”

“Duo, please.”

“ _Rocky mountain hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh_ …” 

“I hate you so much.”

 

_***_

 

The following morning, they abandoned their camp and headed out to the oil rig and true to Quatre’s word, Sandrock held out long enough to complete the mission successfully. Tired, but buzzing with adrenaline and victory, they made it back to the base to report and enjoy a little downtime while Quatre’s Gundam was repaired.

Duo was amazed at how well the blond was able to act perfectly casual, especially around Trowa. Amazed because Duo himself was having difficulty hiding his awkwardness around the Heavyarms pilot. He also didn’t miss the way Heero had been staring at him suspiciously for the last few hours. After blurting out an overcompensated, honking laugh at a quip from Trowa, that in all honesty wasn’t really funny at all, and receiving a round of odd looks from his companions, he abruptly stood up and left the room, his face burning with embarrassment.

He retreated to the john and splashed cold water on his face as he tried to get his vitals to calm down. _Get a fucking grip, Maxwell. You might as well wear a sign that says ‘I fucked Quatre’ for all of the subtlety you’re displaying._

“Why do I get the feeling that you failed to heed my warning?”

He jumped and glanced up into the mirror, catching the disappointed face of Heero over his shoulder. He cleared his throat and schooled his expression into one of confusion.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Heero shook his head, his dark brows drawing low over his eyes. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Duo slumped against the sink and pressed his forehead against the mirror. “I’m so screwed.”

“What the hell did you do?”

He spun around, intent on defending himself. “Look, I didn’t do anything wrong, okay? We were camped out in the mountains. It was freezing. I couldn’t get warm so I crawled into Quat’s sleeping bag.”

Heero folded his arms over his chest and arched a brow. “You got into a sleeping bag with Quatre because you were cold?”

“Yes.”

“No other reason?”

“Y - no?”

“Duo.”

“Heero, I swear, I did not have any other intentions, okay? It was so cold and I just thought it’d be better if we shared body heat.”

Heero narrowed his eyes, but dipped his chin in a curt nod, deciding not to press the issue. “Continue.”

“I -” He blushed and rubbed his forehead. “I got hard.” He glanced up, pleading with his eyes. “I didn’t mean to, Heero. It just happened.”

“And then what?”

“Quatre woke up. We talked for a few minutes and then he kissed me. Next thing I know, we’re going at it like a couple of rabbits.”

Heero’s face had turned a tad green and Duo was on the verge of asking him if he was okay, alarmed that he was going to puke. Instead, the other boy blew out a sigh of resignation, shook his head, and approached the sinks. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“Sorry! Look, it’s not like Quat’s committed to anyone. It was all consensual -”

“Yeah, and you damn well know Trowa is interested in him.”

“Interested doesn’t mean Quat’s required to save himself -”

“Was he a virgin?”

“I…what?”

“Did you take Quatre’s virginity?”

“No! He made it perfectly clear that he was not a virgin. Anyway, why does it matter? It’s none of our business who he sleeps with.”

Heero’s expression belayed his surprise. “He wasn’t a virgin?”

Duo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, he wasn’t. I know it’s shocking, but it’s true. Let’s face it, Quat is not the innocent little angel we thought he was. He doesn’t need any of us to protect his virtue. He never did.”

Heero snorted and leaned against the sink. “Tell that to Trowa.”

Duo rolled his eyes. “Tro needs to get over himself and jump on that sweet piece before someone else does.”

“Like you did?”

“Hey, he was offering. He instigated the sex, okay?”

“You could have said no.”

“Yeah, I could have, but it was a little hard to when my dick was in his mouth.”

Heero reared back, disgust written all over his face. “Don’t be crude.”

“I’m not being crude. That’s called “sex”, Yuy. Sex that happened between two enthusiastically willing parties. We didn’t cheat on anyone because neither of us are in a relationship.” He pointed a finger at Heero. “And you, Tro, and Fei need to stop treating him like he’s some damsel in distress who can’t make decisions for himself, even when those decisions make you personally uncomfortable. He doesn’t need, or want you to protect him.”

Heero turned his head away, biting his lip. “I suppose you’re right.”

“I am right. Quat’s proven himself time and time again that he’s just as capable as any of us. He doesn’t need us patronizing him. He gets enough of that from the Maguanacs.”

“That still doesn’t mean Trowa is going to be happy about this.”

“Tro’s a smart guy. He’ll come around.”

“I hope for your sake, you’re right about that. Trowa may be mature and level headed, but you know how he feels about Quatre. Love can make people irrational.”

“If Tro doesn’t want anyone mackin’ on Blondie, he’d better do something about it. It’s not like Quat hasn’t tried. But Tro’s got this hang up in his head he needs to sort out.”

“Trowa has him on a pedestal.”

“I know. That’s the problem. You're guilty of that, too. Hell, even I was at first. But we can’t treat Quat like that. It’ll only make him resent us.”

Heero nodded in defeat. “You’re right. I’m sorry I went after you like that. You didn’t do anything wrong and neither did Quatre.”

“S’okay. I understand. It’s hard not to be protective of him, especially when you don’t really know him and what he’s capable of. But we do know him and we need to respect him as an equal.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll try harder to do that.”

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”

Heero pushed himself away from the sink and headed towards the door. “Well, if nothing else, at least you succeeded in your mission.”

Duo grinned and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “All in a day’s work. You know what they say. Nothing relieves stress better than -”

He stopped short, frozen in the threshold as Heero swung the door open, revealing an angry looking Trowa on the other side. The Heavyarms pilot stood with his powerful arms crossed over his chest and the promise of slow, painful death in his green eyes.

“Nothing relieves stress better than what, Duo?”

“Er…” he gulped and glanced at Heero for a little help. The Wing pilot shrugged, his expression laying out the cold hard truth.

_You had sex with the one he loves. Time to pay the piper. Maybe next time, you’ll think with your head instead of your dick._

He looked back at Trowa, desperately wracking his brain for a plausible alternative as he carefully scooted along the wall, trying to put as much distance between himself and an untimely demise as he could. He pinned an awkward smile on his face to buy himself some time and took another sideways step away from certain death.

“Better than - than - than a good ol’ game of charades! Great game, I must say. You ever play, Tro?”

He swallowed around a dry throat, heart hammering like a jack rabbit as Trowa took a single step towards him. “No. No, I can’t say that I have.”

“Bummer. Well, if you ever wanna give it a go, let me know. Quat’s pretty good, too.”

“Is he?”

Another step. He cursed as Trowa matched each one. “Uh…yep. Really good, actually.” He glanced behind him to make sure the corridor was clear, ready to flee for his life, or at least his manhood.

“Uh-huh. And what else is he good at?”

“Er…lots of things?”

 _Step…step_ …”Such as?”

“Well shit, Tro. I mean, you’d know better than me.”

“Maybe I would, but I’m not familiar with the more…intimate aspects of him.”

 _Step…step_ …”And you think I am?”

“You tell me.”

Duo paused at the distant sound of pounding footsteps, quick like the person was running, increasing in volume as they got closer. Quatre skidded around the corner a moment later, looking frazzled and pissed off. He glanced around and spotted Trowa and Duo performing a cat and mouse routine while Heero stood to the side, ready to play referee. He threw his hands up in exasperation and stomped over to them, his expression more terrifying than Heero could ever hope to muster. Duo wasn’t sure whether to run from Trowa, or from the enraged blond.

“What the hell is going on?”

Trowa turned on him, glaring down at the petite boy with fiery eyes while pointing at Duo behind him. Duo used the momentary distraction to widen the gap between them, sliding further down the wall as stealthily as he could. 

“What did he do to you?”

Quatre stared up at Trowa, not intimidated in the slightest. “He didn’t “do” anything to me. We had sex, that’s all.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes, that’s all. He didn’t do anything wrong. We -”

“He took advantage of you.”

Quatre’s eyes were comically wide and Duo cringed, bracing himself for the explosion he knew was coming.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, he took -”

“I heard what you said, I just can’t believe you said it.” Duo inched further down, feeling the indignant fury radiating from the tiny blond even from twenty feet away. He tried to catch Heero’s attention, noticing he was standing in a very non-optimal place between the two boys who were on the verge of spontaneously combusting. 

Movement in the corner of his eye made him turn his head and he watched Wufei and Sally approach. Judging by their sweats, the towels over their shoulders, and the water bottles in their hands, they were on their way to the training room. They slowed their strides as they spotted the four boys, instantly realizing something was up and then came to an abrupt halt. There was a pregnant pause and then Sally took a step forward, intent on figuring out what was going on. Wufei grabbed her elbow and pulled her back.

“Don’t.”

“What? Why? I have to -”

“No, you don’t. Believe me, you don’t want any part of…whatever this is.” Wufei waved his hand at his copilots and pulled the doctor away, leading her back the way they came. “We’ll take the longer, but less melodramatic way around.”

“But…what’s going on?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Wufei’s clipped voice faded as they disappeared around the corner.

Duo turned back to the situation at hand and watched the stand off between his comrades. Trowa’s rage seemed to have subsided a little, if the slightly defeated droop of his broad shoulders was any indication. 

“Quat…”

“Don’t you “Quat” me.” And Duo almost laughed because it was like watching a chihuahua snap at a doberman. He managed to bite down on his lips to keep it from escaping. The attention was no longer focused on him and he wanted to keep it that way.

“Why would you do this?”

“Do what? Have a sex life?”

Duo couldn’t see Trowa’s face, but he knew with utmost certainty that the brunette’s expression was uncannily similar to that of a kicked dog. “But you - I - I mean, we -”

“We don’t have anything beyond friendship, though not for lack of effort on my part.”

“I didn’t - I didn’t want to -” Trowa struggled for a moment, then took a deep breath and tried again. “I wanted something better for you than…”

“Than what?”

“Than a quick, meaningless lay between missions, damn it!”

The other three boys stiffened, unused to such emphatic outbursts from the normally laid back Heavyarms pilot. Duo closed his mouth with an audible click. It seemed Heero was right. Very few things got under Trowa's skin and one of those things was their blond copilot. Love indeed made even the most stoic of people irrational.

Quatre, however, wasn't taking the bait. "So, what? I'm supposed to remain celibate until you deign to decide when it's a good time to take our relationship to the next level?"

"You deserve better than this."

" _Psssst_...Hee-chan. Hey, Heero." Duo waved his arm, trying to snag the boy's attention. It was no use. Heero was fascinated by the not-quite-lover's quarrel that was playing out in the middle of the hallway as if it were a really bad after school special. The Wing pilot was watching the drama unfold with wide eyes, chewing on the end of his thumbnail like an eyewitness gawking at a train wreck. 

Duo rolled his eyes as he pulled a hair pin out of his braid and flung it at the mesmerized boy. It bounced off the side of Heero's head with a soft _ping!_ He turned, blinking dumbly at Duo, a little annoyed at being distracted from his entertainment.

"See? That's the problem, Trowa. You need to stop treating me like I'm some priceless collector's item that you're too scared to take out of its box."

"Heero, come on," Duo mouthed, beckoning him over with frantic swipes of his hand. Heero looked dazed, shaking his head a little as he took a small step in Duo's direction. Encouraged, he nodded and continued to tick his fingers at him, feeling like he was trying to persuade a stubborn toddler away from a candy store.

"Is it so wrong that I treasure you?"

"It is when I'm apparently too valuable to be touched. For Allah's sake, Trowa! I'm human, just like you. I have wants and needs and desires like everyone else."

"You made that perfectly clear when you spread your legs for Duo," Trowa spat.

"Oh, shit," Duo hissed under his breath. He approached Heero with a few quick strides and grabbed the boy by his arm, pulling him away from the inevitable explosion he knew was imminent. "Come on, Heero. Let's get out of here."

"Excuse me?" Quatre's voice was ominously subdued, a blaring red flag that shit was about to go down.

Smelling blood in the air and desperate to get them both out of dodge, Duo yanked harder on Heero's arm, cursing under his breath as the Wing pilot dragged his feet, making it twice as difficult to pull him along. "Heero, let's go! Someone's gonna die and it ain't gonna be Quat. I don't want to get caught in the crossfire, or get sacked with having to clean up the crime scene."

"You heard me. Are you really so hard up that you need to jump on every dick within a ten mile radius?"

Quatre's fury was so palpable, Duo could have sworn the walls were sweating with anxiety. He glanced up at the overhead lights as they flickered erratically and tugged Heero further down the corridor.

"You did not just say that to me. Don't even _think_ about going there, mister. Do I need to remind you of the time you "nursed" Heero back to health after he self-destructed?" He barked out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, you didn't think I knew about that, did you? Nothing says "get well soon" like a mutual blow job, am I right?"

Duo froze mid-step, shock dropping his jaw to the ground. He gaped, bug-eyed at Heero who conspicuously kept his head turned away. "Is he kidding?" Heero didn't move, his silence speaking volumes and Duo balked, escape forgotten in light of the recent developments. "Oh. My. God. Heero, you naughty boy!"

"Shut up, Duo."

He threw his head back, howling with laughter. "Hol-ee _shit!_  I cannot believe you two blew each other. Who knew such a by-the-book stick in the mud was into casual hoovers with dudes he just met. Hoooo boy!"

"Shut... _up_...Duo."

"Aw, man. This is gold. You can't make this shit up. I just wish I had a camera to record this momentous occasion. The guys back at the scrapyard are never gonna believe - _ack!_ "

He choked, hands scrabbling up to pry at the iron grip around his throat, and gazed into the furious visage of Heero with watering eyes as his mouth opened and closed like a suffocating fish. 

"Are you finished?"

"I just - _*cough*_ \- just have - _*wheeze*_ \- one question..."

Heero's brows lowered over murderously dark eyes. "What."

"Do you - _*cough*_ \- do you swallow?"

Heero scowled and released his grip. He folded his arms over his chest and glared balefully at Duo who dropped to his knees, hacking and sucking in great gulps of air. "You are such an asshole."

Duo coughed and wiped spittle from his lips with his sleeve. "Is that a yes?" He rasped.

"Ahem."

They looked up to find Quatre and Trowa impatiently tapping their feet and glowering at them. Heero huffed, but said nothing. Duo flicked his fingers at the two. "My bad. Please, continue."

Quatre glared at him for another moment, looked away, and then back again as if he expected another interruption. When Duo made a zipping gesture over his mouth, he turned on Trowa again.

"Anyway. Oh, and let's also not forget _Chester_ ," he snapped, spitting the name "Chester" out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "That little bottle blond tart you had a fling with six months ago. What, you couldn't find any natural blonds?"

"Ouch. Weave, snatched," Duo snickered and then swatted Heero's leg away when the other boy aimed a kick at his side.

"Yes, Quat. I admit to that. Chester was a mistake that I'm not proud of, but he didn't mean anything to me. Can you honestly say the same for Duo?"

"No, I can't. Because Duo's my friend and it was special to me." Duo preened, his chest puffing out with pride. "But he's not the one I'm in love with. He's not the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"And who do you want to spend the rest of your life with?"

Quatre blew out an exasperated sigh, looking at the brunette as though he was questioning his intelligence. "Who do you think?"

"You mean that?" Trowa asked, his voice soft and laced with hope.

"Of course I do. Trowa..." Quatre stepped towards him and he instinctively opened his arms, drawing the blond against his chest and holding him close. Quatre pressed his face into his shoulder and closed his eyes. "I swear, you are so thick sometimes."

Trowa smiled into his hair. "Only when it comes to you. I can't help it. I love you so damn much. Forgive me?"

Quatre cupped his hand against the back of Trowa's head. "Yes, I forgive you, you brute. I'll always forgive you. I love you, Allah help me."

Duo grinned from ear to ear and propped his chin on his fist. "Awww," he cooed. "Would you look at that, Hee-chan? Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever seen?"

"Uh-huh," Heero grunted, sounding much less thrilled. He pushed away from the wall and started down the corridor towards the sleeping quarters.

"Where are you going?"

"I have some...something to take care of." 

Duo stared at his retreating back, observing the boy's awkward gait, and blinked in surprise when the puzzle pieces clicked into place. "Oh, I see." He hesitated for only a second, his mouth curling up at the corners. "Need a hand?"

Heero paused halfway down, but didn't turn. Duo waited patiently.

"Suit yourself," he said and resumed walking. 

Duo grinned and scrambled to his feet, jogging to catch up. He slowed down as he reached him and fell into step beside his copilot, slinging an arm around him. "Hey, Hee-chan."

"What?"

"Are you a John Denver fan?"

Trowa watched them disappear around the corner with a wry look on his face. He shook his head and glanced down at the blond in his arms. "I still can't believe you slept with him, of all people."

Quatre smiled and kissed his neck. "Oh, he's not so bad. Better than _Chester_ ," he simpered, batting his eyelashes.

Trowa sighed and tipped his head back. "I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"

"Not on your life."

"Okay, I'll accept that. As long as I have you, it'll be worth it."

"You sure you want to go through with this?"

Trowa stroked his thumb over a soft cheekbone and gazed down at the boy, never more sure of anything in his life. "Absolutely. No doubt in my mind. I'm never letting you go."

Quatre's eyes twinkled, his pretty mouth curling up in a sly smile. "I'm going to hold you to that." He leaned up on his toes and nipped at Trowa's lips. "Make love to me," he whispered.

Trowa groaned, sounding as if he were in pain. He smoothed his hands down the blond's back and squeezed deliciously plump buttocks as sparks of desire lit up within his groin. "Are you sure? I mean, I wanted our first time together to be more romantic than this."

Quatre huffed a soft laugh against his mouth. "While I appreciate the sentiment, I don't need flowers and candles and soft music, Trowa. That's not what makes this perfect."

"What does?"

"You. As long as I'm with you, nothing else matters."

Trowa smiled and took the boy's hand, locking their fingers together as they headed towards the barracks. "Well then, I'd say we're all set."

"Just don't start singing John Denver."

 

_End._

 

 


End file.
